The present invention relates to an apparatus for distributedly filling, for example, particulate or granular materials which are ingredients of noodles into containers, i.e., cups, for preparing precooked noodles as contained in the cups.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,877,067 discloses an apparatus of the type mentioned which comprises an intermittently drivable container conveyor having a plurality of parallel container transport paths extending through a first filling station and a second filling station, a continuously drivable particulate or granular material conveyor having a first material transport path and a second material transport path extending across and positioned above the container transport paths at the first filling station and the second filling station respectively, first chutes arranged at the first filling station between the container transport paths and the first material transport path, and second chutes arranged at the second filling station between the container transport paths and the second material transport path. The container conveyor has holders successively arranged side by side in the direction of transport and each adapted to hold containers equal in number to the number of container transport paths. The container conveyor is so disposed and driven that the holders are successively stopped at the first filling station and the second filling station. One of the first and second material transport paths is provided with a particulate or granular material feeder. The plurality of container transport paths are divided into a first group of even-numbered paths as arranged from one side of the container conveyor and a second group of odd-numbers paths as arranged from that side of the conveyor. The first chutes are equal in number to the number of paths of the first group and have their lower-end openings disposed above the respective paths of the first group. The second shutes are equal in number to the number of paths of the second group and have their lower-end openings positioned above the respective paths of the second group. A particulate or granular material is fed separately to two groups of container transport paths at the first filling station and the second filling station, respectively, to distributedly fill containers.
When it is desired to double the filling capacity of the above apparatus, it appears feasible to double the distance the container conveyor is driven at a time with the intermittent feeding cycle time unchanged and to feed two holders at a time. The apparatus then needs to have two material conveyors, but this doubles the installation space and equipment cost.